Last week, we asked our fans to rent or buy The Graduates from AmazonVOD. In 24 hours we skyrocketed from the #22 Comedy to #4! We also skyrocketed to the #11 movie of all movies on Amazon.

THANKS TO YOU for three days straight we were ahead of Slumdog Millionaire (Best Picture 2008), Marley & Me, and even Twilight. This is unheard of. We were the only true independent film in the Top 50, and the only film made for under $10 million.

So how did The Graduates, made for a paltry $95,000 skyrocket to the top of Amazon.com?

BECAUSE OF YOU: OUR FRIENDS, FAMILIES AND FANS

If you haven't seen The Graduates yet, please consider downloading it from iTunes today. We want to make the same push on iTunes, and we know WITH YOUR SUPPORT we can crack the Top 10.

Every week this summer we're going to post different interviews with people involved with the film- me, Matt, the interns, the cast and crew... This week we start with me talking about what inspired the movie, and why/how I got into movies (I promise future interviews will have nothing to do with me!):

The Graduates College Tour kicked off last week at Fairliegh Dickinson with a packed house and a TWO-HOUR Q&A! I introduced the film and said we'd stick around until everyone's questions were answered, and I meant it. We love to talk about our film.

The rest of the tour (updated as we finalize each school):George Washington UniversityPurdueMichiganPenn StateWashington & LeeCarnegie MellonJohns Hopkins UniversityGeorge MasonGeorgetownUMBCTexas A&MSchool of Visual ArtsColumbia University

For a full list and screening times, please check out our SHOWTIMES page.

I can only hope every college audience is as fun and engaging as FDU was. We're trying to create a new model here- not only will we stick around for as long as the audience has questions, we'll also be at every screening of the film this summer to do Q&A's and meet n' greets nearby. For instance, when we open in NYC this May, I'll personally be at every screening (around 30-35 screenings) to do a Q&A with the ticket-buying audience.

We want you to see the film, and we love to hear your thoughts and questions. Can't wait to see you at a screening soon...

Alec Kerr is a reporter, but you can record your own video review of the film. Upload your own video review of The Graduates and we'll send you a free DVD when the film comes out. We'll also post it here and on our website and fan pages!

How to watch:- Click play- Let HD load- Watch full screen or small screen!

------

Here's some other cool stuff to do when you're done with the movie:

Cut Your Own Trailer: This is a first of its kind. We'll make five different downloads available, each filled with .MOV video clips and WAV music files. You can cut them, upload them and send us a link, we want to see your work!

Pre-Order the DVD: Order early and we guarantee it will arrive by graduation.

Download the free soundtrack: Just go to our Music page and enter the code "GOGRADS" at checkout. The entire soundtrack will download for free.

The Graduates is going to be the first film in history to give away 1 million soundtracks...

To get the FREE SOUNDTRACK:1. Go to our Music Page...2. Add both digital discs to your cart3. Enter the code: GOGRADS4. Checkout and download free soundtrack

It really is that simple. If you like it, forward this to a friend.

----------------------Here's some more info:

Why are you giving away 1 million free soundtracks?It's simple: the music rocks. We believe once you hear the soundtrack, you'll have to see the film :)

One million sounds like a lot, how can you do it?That's where you come in. If you forward this promo to just one friend, and they do the same, we'll reach 1 million by May 8th (the day the film will hit theaters).

We also have a couple incredible corporate sponsors, like TripSmarter.com, giving away soundtracks to people who are looking at spring break and summer vacations.

Why are the soundtracks FREE?The short answer: we want you to have it! We want you listening to our soundtrack instead of the millions of other songs available out there. At the very least, we want a spot on your shuffle.

The longish answer: we tried some nuanced promos, we tested out things like $0.99 soundtracks, or giving away half the soundtrack, but while that was interesting to people, it just wasn't powerful.

We think those promos locked people out of the movie, because they came with a caveat- you can only have half; you can have it if you pay a little money- and those caveats would prevent people from participating in the promo.

So we decided to really go for it. Our goal is get as many people as possible to know about and eventually see The Graduates. So why not just give the soundtrack away, and make it as easy as possible for people to participate in the promo and to get to know the film.

An example of our partnership with TripSmarter:

How will you track the progress of the promo?We want to make a big splash as the promo evolves and more people download the soundtrack, so we're in the process of creating a cool graphic that will auto-update, sort of like the thermometer you see on certain charities' websites, but maybe a little cooler :)

Check back often for updates and to see how many people have downloaded the free soundtrack.

Film soundtracks are usually a poor investment, and often laden with incidental music and songs that have been previously issued; ditto releases which propose to be “inspired by the film…” which tend to be thrown together at the behest of ad departments. Not so with The Graduates, which emerges as a cohesive collection of up-beat novelty offerings that certainly evoke the film’s storyline of libidinous high-school grads who head to a beach resort to get laid and party. Though they’re not (yet) household names, the artists here - most notably Mad Tea Party, Seth Freeman, Sex w/Lurch, and The Smittens, - all put their best musical foot (and bleeding hearts) forward. Sex w/Lurch’s “Tokyo Cowboy” is a mad-cap garage rocker that would fit nicely on Nuggets (think ? Mark and the Mysterians). “Here Kitty Kitty,” one of several Freeman cuts, has a ska beat to die for and a sexy libretto that would make Beyonce blush (note to Freeman - you should prompt her to cover this!). Mad Tea Party lives up to its goofy name with the “Wipe Out” inspired “I Went Out” - replete with Beach Boys harmonies and charmingly out-of-tune vocals that would get Mother Theresa thrown off American Idol. Dig The Smittens heartfelt “The Garden” - a mid-tempo rocker rendered in a baritone just south of Johnny Cash. The Graduates puts the fun back in rock ‘n’ roll where it belongs!

While the former music industry crumbles into a slow, self-inflicted suicide stabbing of itself, there is an opportunity for independent musicians/bands to form alliances with independent filmmakers. Recently, I read a story in TechDirt about a independent movie production, for a movie called The Graduates, that was going to heed SEC Bad Boy Mark Cuban’s suggestion of giving away soundtracks to movie goers. Being a big fan of both independent movies and indie music (not to mention Mark Cuban), I was really intrigued by the idea of attempting to give away 1,000,000 soundtracks to an independent movie. So I contacted executive producer of The Graduates, Ryan Gielen, for an interview to better understand this process and how it might benefit both independent musicians and movies in the future.Free Soundtracks - Getting Your Music Into The Movies, Jan 2009

Ideas for any indie musician or filmmaker on getting great music into great indie films...

Monday, February 23, 2009

Official Posting from The Graduates!!!

Hi friends!

Come join us for a night or revelry: The Graduates Asheville Sneak Preview!The Graduates is honored to feature the music of Asheville-based THE MAD TEA PARTY!!!Thursday, March 12thAsheville Pizza Company9:00pm doors9:30 showTickets are $5, available through our site:

Friday, February 13, 2009

CineMaryland interviewed us prior to our sold-out Maryland sneak preview... Check it out... Did you know you can download the entire Graduates soundtrack for FREE? Just go to www.thegraduatesmovie.com/music...

Monday, February 2, 2009

Check out the feature article on our Soundtrack!

While the former music industry crumbles into a slow, self-inflicted suicide stabbing of itself, there is an opportunity for independent musicians/bands to form alliances with independent filmmakers. Recently, I read a story in TechDirt about a independent movie production, for a movie called The Graduates, that was going to heed SEC Bad Boy Mark Cuban’s suggestion of giving away soundtracks to movie goers. Being a big fan of both independent movies and indie music (not to mention Mark Cuban), I was really intrigued by the idea of attempting to give away 1,000,000 soundtracks to an independent movie. So I contacted executive producer of The Graduates, Ryan Gielen, for an interview to better understand this process and how it might benefit both independent musicians and movies in the future.Free Soundtracks - Getting Your Music Into The Movies, Jan 2009

Ideas for any indie musician or filmmaker on getting great music into great indie films...